[ReelLove]

So I have been looking for a new [to me] Tiara in the 40' range, although I could make the Tiara or Pursuit 3800 work. 

I am getting serious about a 4100 Tiara with 3208 Cats @ 435HP each.  Boat appears to be well maintained.  Engines show 2500+ hours on meters.  1,000 hour maintenance was completed including (I'm told) the aftercoolers.  I know nothing about the 3208 Cats.  I have not seen the repair invoices as of this posting.

Questions:
What should I be concerned about?  
Are 2500+ hours on the 3208's an issue?  
What should I be looking for? 

4100
Do you like your 4100?  
Is 6/10 MPG realistic? 
What have you found to be your cruising range? 

I plan on having the engines surveyed by a Cat Certified mechanic or dealer.  My last Tiara (36, loved that boat) had Cummins 5.9BT's.  Great motors.  

I moved on to this boat because I was "warned" by a Cat dealer to steer clear of the 3196 Cats that were installed in a 43 Tiara that I also liked.  I was also warned to keep clear of boats with Detroit 692's because parts are getting hard to find and because they were "thirsty." 

If you have any knowledge or experience with a Tiara with 3208's @435 HP that had/have high(ish) hours, I would love to hear from you.  

I thank you in advance for your responses.

[Woodworker2001]

So I have been looking for a new [to me] Tiara in the 40' range, although I could make the Tiara or Pursuit 3800 work. 

I am getting serious about a 4100 Tiara with 3208 Cats @ 435HP each.  Boat appears to be well maintained.  Engines show 2500+ hours on meters.  1,000 hour maintenance was completed including (I'm told) the aftercoolers.  I know nothing about the 3208 Cats.  I have not seen the repair invoices as of this posting.

Questions:
What should I be concerned about?  
Are 2500+ hours on the 3208's an issue?  
What should I be looking for? 

4100
Do you like your 4100?  
Is 6/10 MPG realistic? 
What have you found to be your cruising range? 

I plan on having the engines surveyed by a Cat Certified mechanic or dealer.  My last Tiara (36, loved that boat) had Cummins 5.9BT's.  Great motors.  

I moved on to this boat because I was "warned" by a Cat dealer to steer clear of the 3196 Cats that were installed in a 43 Tiara that I also liked.  I was also warned to keep clear of boats with Detroit 692's because parts are getting hard to find and because they were "thirsty." 

If you have any knowledge or experience with a Tiara with 3208's @435 HP that had/have high(ish) hours, I would love to hear from you.  

I thank you in advance for your responses.

I know that the 3208’s at 435 hp get a bad rap. You hear some good stories and many bad stories. Pretty sure they are not a sleeved motor so block must be pulled to rebuild. Most say 435hp is too much out of that block but some like I said have had very good luck. They are what has kept me from buying a 41 open but I am considering it. You also have to understand I run charters and put 200 hours a year on

[hiccup]

Agree with the above, 3208 is a great motor at lower HP, but at 435 I would be nervous. The V8 configuration takes up a lot of space too, and he is correct, it is a parent bore engine so rebuilds are trickier.

The 41 Open is a great boat but looks like a much older design to my eye than the 38 does. But the real question is whether or not you like it.

They did not hold their value as well as other Tiaras, likely due to the older looking styling and 3208/DD power, but this will work to your advantage. You can get a 41 a good bit cheaper than a similar 38.

[Sans Peur]

I had a 41 open with the 435hp Cats for about 4 years. Loved that boat. Good ride, great power and ran like a top. Can't remember how many hours were on it when I sold but it was around 2k. Only thing I e er did to it was replace the coolers and a small seal on top of the engine that was leaking fuel. They ran flawless.

Now was there any room to get behind the engines? NO! Unless you are 5' and 100lbs. I did sneak my way between the port engine once. It took me 5 minutes to get in and about 10 to get out. But then I am a shade over 6' and 240lbs. I am not meant to do things like that.

[ReelLove]

I thank everyone for their responses.

---

I thank everyone for their responses.
Decided to go and inspect her.
I will keep you posted.
Thanks again.

[Gosseligbeg]

I can only offer anecdotal comments: My marina neighbor in Hilton Head had a Sundancer with 3208s.......he lost 1 engine and lamented about buying the boat as he claimed those particular Cats had a problem with the cooling system. When we were purchasing our 400 Express, the surveyor made a comment about his next appointment...."going to evaluate some grenades in New York"..????? 3208s! Good luck in your search and selection. You might want to try an AI search on your specific concerns.

[Capt. Paul]

I had a pair of 3208's at 375 HP. Great motors. I bought the boat with 3230 hours and ran it another 3000 hours.

The buyer had the engines surveyed and the crankcase pressure was still in factory spec.

I understand the 435 HP version has an improved cooling system over the 425 HP engines.
If yours surveyed well, and are propped to reach WOT, they should give you great service.

[JonesE]

I'm late to this thread, but my input isn't related directly to the 3208's, but their connection to the ZF transmissions/V-drives. 2 months ago I purchased a 1998 4000 Express with the same 3208's and just over 1500 hours, It surveyed well with minimal issues on Long Island. In running down to Annapolis from Long Island, we were cruising up the Delaware Bay running about 1800RPM's when I start smelling rubber burning. My buddy opens the engine access and rubbery black smoke pours out of the engine room. I had noticed the RPM's creeping up on the port engine with no change in throttle position or speed and the problem was the rubber damper assembly between the port Cat and the ZF trans was failing. Was able to make headway at idle on the port engine and discovered the same issue on the starboard side shortly afterwards while running the starboard engine at 1500 RPM's. We limped into Hancock Harbor Marina on the Cohancey River and they pulled the boat that day. I had the boat trailered down to a marina in Iuka, MS for repairs. I had asked my surveyor before purchase about the damper issue having looked at another Tiara who had completed the repair a year prior and warned me of the potential issue. My surveyor said unless the boat had experienced a hard grounding (or two), the coupler should not be an issue on a boat with only 1500 hours. I can't blame him for not being able to see inside the transmissions and the sea trial revealed no issues. The props were in good shape, but once it was on the hard at Hancock Harbor, a local Yanmar mechanic named Tim Silva (excellent mechanic and person I would highly recommend) pointed out to me the port strut was bent and the bearing showed the direction of wear consistent with the angle of the bent strut. This condition was NOT revealed in the survey and likely contributed to the early demise of said rubber damper due to increased strain on the drivetrain.
Sorry for the long post, but my advice is to look beyond the engines (running gear) for potential problems on a used Tiara or any other similar boat.